


blue and green wrapped in gold

by beanievaltersen



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Hate to Love, Humor, M/M, Pining, also mahdi and noora are friends because thats what my heart wants, i call this hate to love but is was very hard to fit much hate in there lets be real, some angst and drama but it will be fine later i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-11-05 18:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11018670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beanievaltersen/pseuds/beanievaltersen
Summary: "You know, that blush really suits you"Isak choked on air, ducking his head down a little, his entire face feeling like it was on fire."Shut up!" Isak said, daring to sneak a glance back up at Even.He was grinning. Of course he was.Fuck you.Or, a hate to love uni!AU with 19 year old Isak and 21 year old Even.





	1. Can't you work with Even?

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo, this is my first chaptered fic, I'm very excited about it and I hope you will enjoy!
> 
> Also, a huge shoutout to my star [Natacha](http://mannentilminkardemomme.tumblr.com) for beta'ing this and giving feedback.
> 
> ps. this chapter contains a lil spoiler about la la land, so if u haven't seen it yet just skip like one sentence in this lmao

**sunday, march 24**

Isak woke up to a high pitched sing songy voice yelling out an outdrawn "Isaaaaak" and a pillow being thrown in his face.

"Isak you know you're my favourite and all but we need to have a flat meeting about _this_ " said Eskild, gesticulating with his arm around Isak's room, over the piles of clothes and empty pizza boxes, a suspicious roll of toilet paper at Isak's nightstand, the papers spilling over on Isak's tiny desk and onto the floor, his pointing hand landing on Isak himself at the end of his sentence.

"Your room is, to put it gently, getting out of hand" Eskild continued while Isak buried his head deep in the pillow he had got thrown on him seconds before, letting out a long, drawn out groan from underneath it.

"Eskilddd" he complained, face still blocked from the world by the pillow.

"Can we have this talk when it's not- he weakly reached out a hand to his nightstand, grabbing his phone "8:30 in the damn morning?"

Eskild strode forward, gently but decidedly moving the pillow out of Isak's face, revealing his fluffy hair which stuck out in every direction and his squinting morning eyes.

"Today is an important day, my dear Isak, it's our spring cleaning day. You know, the one we decided to have at Christmas?"

Isak looked unimpressed, remembering saying yes to no such thing, and Eskild continued "and besides, you see my little baby bird, this is also the day before you are going back to uni, it's time to clean up your room and image. Get dressed and we can get going throwing stuff out."

With a wide smile and a thrown kiss goodbye, Eskild danced out of the room.

When Isak later stood in absolute chaos with two trash bags in each hand he regretted his decision to eventually join Noora, Linn and Eskild in their quest for a clean and tidy flat.

Eskild was running around like a tornado, throwing trash in one of the bags and donations in the other.

Linn had made a half-hearted attempt to clear out the pile of mail which had been growing on their rainbow doormat during the week, but halfway in she ended up flipping through a magazine with the popping headline "Naps scientifically proven to make you live longer."

Isak himself had just thrown all his dirty clothes in the washing mashine, his _put-stuff-here-chair_ looking strangely empty without it. It wasn't too bad now, Isak thought. _Minimalist lifestyle._

 

"Isak, how long has this been here for?" Noora said, wrinkling her nose at the half-eaten cheese toastie she had just found underneath Isak's bed.

 

*

 

**monday**

Starting uni again would be nice, Isak had thought. After a long break from school with too many nights spent watching Breaking Bad, he actually felt kind of excited to start the new term.

He had his friends by his side, and even though they wouldn’t have quite as many classes together this year Isak had seen their time tables and they still had a couple of them, so that was always something.

But it looked like the universe wanted to pull and prank on him, which resulted in Isak’s current situation, sitting in the classroom, his teacher having just presented the class to a six week project which required everyone to work in pairs, and pairs only.

”This means two people, and _two people only_ . Not one, not three and not four. This in non-negotiable” Isak’s teacher said. _Seems like someone is tired of our shit_ , Isak thought.

Mahdi and Magnus had gotten paired up at lightning speed, and Isak cursed the fact that Jonas currently was at home sick with the flu. Fantastic.

_Did someone really have to sneeze on him or whatever?_ Isak thought.

So Isak looked frantically around the room, meeting the eyes of Magnus and Mahdi across the classroom, Magnus mouthing a "Sorry bro", looking at Isak regretfully.

Isak knew he was being dramatic but honestly, he was left to the wolves now. Isak continued looking around the room once more to try and find someone he had talked to once or twice, anything.

Until a voice flew over the chatter of students already paired up. "Isak, why don't you work with Even?" his teacher said. _Fuck_ , Isak thought.

Even was the most annoying person Isak knew. He was good looking, sure, but he was also a list of other things.

He was popular and he knew it, and extremely cocky as well, he was a player- the list could go on.

It didn’t help Even's case that everyone and their mother constantly talked about the things he got up to, about how he could play with anyone’s feelings.  

Isak had even heard somebody say that he dumped his ex-girlfriend on her birthday. So with all of those things in mind, Isak wasn’t exactly over the moon about having to work with Even.

 

*

 

Even chewed on his pencil. Of course he did. The sound of it annoyed Isak a bit, but his attention was also on Even's lips. They were big and soft looking. _Too big for his face_ , Isak corrected himself immediately.

_I wonder if they are as soft as they look_ , the other part of him thought. _Shut up Isak_.

They were sat in the school library, sunlight streaming in through big windows to the side of them, making Even’s hair shine like gold.

He had his denim jacket casually strewn over the back of his chair, leaning back against the back of it almost arrogantly. _It's like he thinks he owns the whole damn library_ , Isak thought.

"You're staring" Even said, looking over at Isak, pushing forward so that his elbows were resting on the table between them. 

_What?_ "What?" Isak said dumbly. "No I'm not. Anyway, how are we going to do this?" Isak said, quickly trying to change the subject. Even kept chewing on his pencil, just watching him.

"You know, that blush really suits you" Isak choked on air, ducking his head down a little, his entire face feeling like it was on fire. "Shut up!" Isak said, daring to sneak a glance back up at Even.

He was grinning. _Fuck you. Fuck you, you stupidly good looking pencil chewer-_

"I think we can study at my place?" Even said.

Isak was thrown back to reality, immediately feeling like that was a stupid idea.

Taking in Isak's dubious expression, Even quickly added: "It's quiet most of the time, my mom usually work night shifts.

Upon Isak still looking unconvinced, Even said "Come on, you said that we couldn’t study at yours, and-” he stopped talking with a glance at the librarian walking back and forth behind Isak's head.

He lowered his voice to a whisper "I once threw like, books out the window and stuff here, so I don't think the librarian likes me very much." 

Isak threw a quick look in her direction, seeing her suspiciously eyeing the book between them, currently grasped in Even’s hand.

This particular bit of information sparked Isak's curiosity and he wanted to know more about Even’s book-throwing activities, but he decided that it had to wait for another time as Even was looking at him expectantly.

Isak sighed. ”Okay.”

 

*

 

Vilde came running to him during lunch, and she didn’t even stop for more than five seconds to catch her breath before she started talking about Even.

"You should keep some distance from him" she said, glancing across the cafeteria, to where Even was sitting with a group of friends.

"He kind of has a reputation" she lowered her voice even more, like it would otherwise carry all the way across the room.

"I heard that he once set the school on fire. On purpose." Vilde pursed her lips, adding "So he's a troublemaker for sure, did you hear about how he broke up with his girlfriend?”

Isak nodded, not really liking Vilde talking so much about Even, like she knew everything about him.

_You don’t know him either,_ Isak reminded himself.

”How do you even know that I’m working with him?” Isak asked, raising an eyebrow at Vilde who just gave him a little smile. 

”Oh Isak, it’s not just me who knows. People are always talking about him anyway."

Isak continued putting as little effort into the conversation as possible, just nodding or shaking his head as Vilde carried on speaking a mile a minute, Isak’s thoughts running wild in his head.

_Why were there so many rumours about Even?_

 

*

 

**wednesday**

**Unknown number**

See you at 5 tomorrow?

 

Even? How did you get my number..?

 

Yes. And I have my methods.

 

Oh my god did you really use that line just now.. 5 is fine btw

 

;) It's a date

 

*eyeroll emoji* It’s not a date Even

 

:*

 

*****

 

**thursday**

Isak was screwed. It was raining so bad and he had missed his bus because of the few extra minutes it took him to pack his bag with all the science books they needed.

Isak first took a minute to curse the fact that his bus was in traffic only once every freaking hour and then Isak accepted his fate.

This whole ordeal resulted in Isak instead having to run (in other words walk quickly, Isak wasn’t an athlete or anything) the 20 minutes it took to get to Even's apartment.

Isak’s hair was now dark from the rain, sticking to his forehead, the ends curling slightly from the humidity.

Isak’s cheeks were red from the exertion and he had to take a moment to catch his breath once in safety under the roof of Even’s apartment building.

_I probably look like a wet rat_ , Isak thought, trying his best to adjust his hair.

"Who cares though, right?" Isak muttered quietly to himself before walking up the stairs to Even’s floor and knocking on the door.  

Even opened the door in a white t-shirt that was so tight it should have been illegal.

Even gave him and his wet appearance a quick look from head to toe, making heat rise to Isak’s cheeks, this time not from exertion.

_Why can’t I ever keep my cool_ , Isak thought. ”Hey! Come in! You can borrow some of my clothes if you want. You look soaked to the bone" Even said, opening the door wide and letting Isak into the small but cozy hallway.

So that’s how Isak ended up sitting in Even’s couch in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt that were too big on him.

Even had quickly dismissed the kitchen table as a potential work space, his hand gesturing to what looked like a small mountain of beads, different coloured strings, and half-finished necklaces made of said beads.

"Excuse the mess, it's my little sister Signe, she's hooked on making jewelry and stuff. She'll get pissed if I move anything" Even said, laughing a little.

_Interesting_ , Isak thought. "I also have a little sister" Isak said, smiling. "I know how it is with those things.”

Maybe the whole situation should be awkward, this was the first time they hung out after all, the first time they even really talked, but somehow it wasn’t at all.

Even was very talkative and easy to be around when he wasn’t being cocky trying to tease Isak. Isak was getting to know more about Even by the minute, and he soaked it all up.  

Now they were sitting crossed legged on the couch, both having a laptop in their lap but not doing any work, instead being all wrapped up in a conversation about films.

"Pfft, like you have never cried during Titanic" Isak huffed. "Everyone has, it’s an unwritten rule.”

”Isak, I just said that I didn’t cry during La La Land, Titanic is a completely different story” Even said, eyes crinkling at Isak’s fake-offended expression.

”But La La Land was so emotional though, like, they could have spent their lives together and instead it ended like that” Isak said, pulling at the strings of Even’s borrowed sweatpants.

”But isn’t that what makes it interesting though? They could have been all that but in the end their story became completely different... Besides, I think the message was to follow your dreams or some corny shit like that anyway.”

Even smiled a little, running his tongue over one of his sharp teeth in thought. ”I really liked that film.”

 

*

 

**friday**

**Even pencil-chewer**

 

I saw this meme today and thought of you

Ugh, I'm late ONCE and it's already memeable

 

Relatable memes are the best memes.. Also, study on Tuesday? :D

 

Sure! it will be two geniuses at work

 

:')

 

*

 

They were all sat around the tiny kitchen table at kollektivet. Jonas, who had finally returned from the war of flu, Magnus and Mahdi.

Noora was there too, her and Mahdi quickly becoming the best of friends.

They had just figured out _”the best secret handshake ever Isak look at this”_ , complete with 9 required steps of pointing their hands and fingers in all different directions while grinning and winking with both eyes.

Isak didn’t understand any of it, but he was glad that they seemed to have found each other.

Isak had offered up the place for the _drink-beer-and-talk-about-deep-and-not-so-deep-stuff_ (name credit to Jonas) evening they sometimes had.

”Are all of you guys going to Eva’s party tomorrow?” Magnus asked. ”Even will definitely be there” he added, wiggling his eyebrows at Isak suggestively.

Isak rolled his eyes, half-regretting having told the boys about how nice Even was to be around yesterday. But the other half just enjoyed the teasing.

It wasn’t like he liked Even or anything, there had to be more things about him that weren’t all that nice.

”I think so, I haven’t gone out in a while” Isak said, taking a sip of his beer. He added ”and it kind of sounds like it’s you who is all excited to see Even, Mags.”

Magnus pouted his lips and blew Isak an obnoxious kiss. ”Aw, look at my boy joking about his crush! I’m already thinking about a ship name.”

 

*

 

**saturday**

Eva's house was practically jumping up and down, the music being loud enough to resonate through Isak's very bones.

Isak was excited, both because it was the weekend and he currently had no responsibilities, but also about the fact that Jonas was finally back at his side for a night out.

He also knew that Jonas had a crush on Eva, the girl with the warm smile and long beautiful hair.

That's why Isak teased him a little about Jonas wearing a nice button up shirt and having styled his curly hair with hair wax.

They had barely made their entry before Eva came flying down the stairs, excitedly chatting and pulling them along to the table filled with drinks in the living room.

Jonas looked awestruck and Isak bumped his shoulder encouragingly. "Go for it, J. Ain't nobody resisting your charm around here" Isak said.

There were so many people around them that Isak couldn’t see anyone he recognized (not that he looked of course), and he quickly lost sight of Magnus and Mahdi in the crowd, so he settled for grabbing a beer and positioned himself at the edge of a sofa.

For a while he just sat there and observed the people around him, already drunk and making some extraordinarily embarrassing dancemoves.

_I really hoped somebody filmed that guy hitting himself in the face while dabbing._

Isak moved from his spot on the couch rather quickly because the sofa soon turned into a meeting spot for couples in love, and just sitting beside four couples making out wasn’t exactly Isak’s idea of a great party.

On his way through the big house in search for more alcohol he spotted spotted Jonas and Eva sitting on the kitchen countertop, talking and laughing, and Isak smiled to himself. _Go Jonas_.

Isak eventually ended up on the second floor, after having danced with several people in a room of people playing spin the bottle.

He was now well on his way to becoming very drunk, and he had spent the last hour smiling and dancing with everyone who smiled back at him.

He joined in immediately, noticing some people from uni being there as well, but soon being distracted by the bottle spinning, close to him and- It landed on the girl beside him, who was wearing a colourful bomber jacket and had her hair in braids.

She kissed a blonde wide-eyed boy and the game continued.

 

Isak took the time out to take a closer look at the people around him, and, his pulse racing, noticed Even also sitting in the big circle, having been half hidden by people around them.

Isak felt an excited and nervous spark fly through his body, his head spinning with thoughts of _what if..?_

The bottle continued pairing people up to kiss, and it landed on Even, a girl giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

People complained and her "I have a boyfriend people" only tidied them over a little, as it now was Even's turn to spin the bottle.

People were cheering him on enthusiastically, wanting somebody to make up for the " _kiss that was soo lame, honestly Jessica do you even go here?"_

Even looked up, meeting Isak's eyes. The bottle was spinning, spinning, spinning, to Isak it felt like an eternity until it stopped.

 

It had landed on a dark haired boy two people away from Isak.  

Isak cursed his entire life, and then he looked on as Even moved forward, beckoning the other boy closer, Even's hand reaching up to cup the dark haired boy's face.

Even smirked and kissed him, his eyes opening and staring right at Isak as he deepened the kiss.

The other boy pulled him closer, seemingly without realizing, and Even's eyes sparkled, dark as they met Isak's.

Isak couldn't breathe, he was feeling too hot, he was going to-

 

"Isak!" a slurred voice yelled at him suddenly and Isak came back to reality when Magnus appeared out of nowhere, stumbling forward to grab onto Isak’s arm, trying to regain his balance.

Isak got up and had just managed to get Magnus halfway down the staircase when Magnus toppled over and threw up all over Isak’s shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! <3
> 
> I made Noora and Mahdi great pals because honestly 10/10 friendship potential there, and I also miss s1 so in this universe nobody knows Eva (yet?) and Jonas liiiiikes her. The girl and the wide eyed boy at spin the bottle is a lil nod to Chris and Casper. Also if you recognize the wet rat bit from shameless I send a virtual cookie 2 u.
> 
> Feedback and kudos feed my soul, and I'm also on tumblr at [beanievaltersen](http://beanievaltersen.tumblr.com), feel free to yell at + with me anytime


	2. Maybe I like him a tiny bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t even like winter that much. Or snow, for that matter” Isak said, looking around at the glistering world around them. ”I usually hang out inside this time of year.”
> 
> Even smiled at him, his eyes sparkling with humour. ”Oooh, you must really like me then, being outside and all.” Isak could feel his cheeks heat up. ”I never said that.”
> 
> Even just looked at him, raising an eyebrow, a confident smile on his face "You didn’t have to. I can tell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter, finally!
> 
> First off i want to say a huge thank you for the positive response I got on the first chapter! Your kudos, comments and bookmarks make my heart siiiing and keeps me motivated to write. Also big thank you to [Natacha](http://mannentilminkardemomme.tumblr.com) for beta'ing this. I've been very busy this past week and that's the reason this wasn't updated earlier. Hope you enjoy reading and keep giving me feedback on this story! <3

**sunday, 31 march**

Isak had spent his Sunday going through all of the events that happened at the party, cheeks flushing and excitement buzzing through his veins recalling his moment with Even.

Eskild had taken over the role of caretaker for Magnus, who once again was fast asleep on the spare mattress on Isak's floor, currently drooling all over Isak’s pillow.

He had woken up a couple times already, asking for water and painkillers. It was probably freaking Magnus out at this point considering how many times he had woken up to Eskild already being there staring at him, a bottle of water in one hand and a wet cloth in the other.

Isak had, with Eskild’s encouragement, moved to the kitchen table instead.

Isak himself thought it was hilarious and kind of sweet, and, with Eskild checking in on Magnus for him, Isak had lots of time to do other important things. Like looking Even up at all of his social media.

Isak didn't mean to stalk Even's Facebook, he really didn't, he just had to give in to his notifications okay?

The words "Even Bech Naesheim has sent you a friend request" made his heart pick up speed, his hands hovering over the Facebook app for a couple of seconds before finally giving in, chewing his bottom lip as he accepted the request.

Isak kept telling himself that it was completely normal to scroll down so far on Even’s Facebook timeline that he was looking at a picture from Even’s vacation to Spain from three years ago. He was just doing some research, okay?

One thing that had become obvious about Even was that he liked to take pictures, of his friends, of nature and buildings and some of himself. Isak also saw a couple photos of what seemed to be drawings Even had drawn himself.

They were funny, cartoon-style pictures and bubbly graffiti style quotes. Isak was careful not to accidentally like any of Even’s pictures, as he clicked to see bigger versions of every single one of the pictures of himself Even had posted.

Isak had just found Even on Instagram, his profile this time being private, when Magnus came walking out of Isak’s room, Eskild in tow.

”Morning sunshine” Isak said, taking in Magnus’ hungover appearance, his eyes still only half-open, but a smile on his face nonetheless. ”Great party” Magnus said, taking a seat opposite Isak.

”There’s no great party unless someone throws up, I was just the lucky one” he continued. Isak raised an amused eyebrow at him. ”Always such a gentleman Mags, sacrificing yourself like that. But maybe you blessed us all with some good luck. Did you see Jonas and Eva? I think Jonas really likes her.”

Magnus nodded. ”Yeah… ugh, why does everyone have to have great game? I saw Mahdi with someone as well, and, it’s a little fuzzy around the edges, but I saw you and Even basically eyefucking each other so-” Isak almost choked, and he immediately looked down at the table, cheeks heating up. Isak could hear Eskild’s scandalised gasp above him. ”Why, oh why didn’t you tell me this juicy stuff earlier?” Eskild said. ”I can give you great advice.” Isak finally looked up at both of them, meeting Eskild’s expectant eyes as he was leaning against the kitchen counter. ”Ugh, I hate both of you.”

Isak again looked down at his phone, Even’s instagram page still open. Judging from the other’s big grins, they also noticed that the page belonged to a certain someone. He rolled his eyes at them, and then he clicked the follow button.

 

*

 

**monday**

If anyone would have asked Isak if him looking around the hallway more than he usually did was because he was hoping to see Even, Isak probably would have denied it.

But then again, Isak probably would have denied lots of things when it came to Even. For example how often he thought of him. Whenever he closed his eyes a mental picture of Even looking at him like _that_ haunted him.

He finally saw him with his friends at the end of the hallway. Even was laughing, walking a bit behind the others, talking to a girl with dark lipstick and dimples. Even looked up and met Isak’s eyes, giving him a wink before Isak quickly looked away.

Even continued walking with his friends down the corridor, and Isak followed him with his eyes before Jonas, Mahdi and Magnus found him and excitedly started talking about Eva’s party, Magnus thanking him again for letting him crash at kollektivet and giving him a meaning look as he caught Isak’s line of sight.

They had just gotten to their classroom, Jonas sitting beside him and Isak just starting to dig his books out from his bag, when the screen of his phone lit up with a notification.

 

**even_bech accepted your follow request**

**even_bech started following you**

 

Isak could feel himself start smiling, he knew he probably looked like a man possessed but he couldn’t help the spark of excitement making it’s way down his spine. He tilted the screen slightly towards Jonas, letting him read from the screen.

”He’s definitely interested in you, man” Jonas said, bringing his hand towards Isak for a fist bump. ”Maybe, I hope so” Isak said.

He felt like he was getting into deep water with Even, and it made him excited while it still scared him a little. ”What about you and Eva though? It looked like you two were having a good time the other night” Isak said.

Jonas almost looked a little shy, but it soon disappeared and was replaced by a goofy smile. ”It’s going well I think. We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow.” This time it was Isak who brought up his hand for Jonas to bump. _Great game indeed._

 

*

 

**tuesday**

This time Isak made an effort to actually look nice before coming over to Even’s place. This time his hair was fluffy and a bit more styled than usual. Although he had a dark red beanie on top of it, because of the air still being a bit chilly, even though spring would soon be around the corner, a promise of it already hanging in the air.

Isak felt something suspiciously like butterflies in his stomach, but Isak did his best to ignore it. _Those will have to be murdered_ , Isak thought to himself as he reached up to knock on Even’s door.

Even’s little sister was home this time, running to the door to also greet Isak when Even opened it to let him in. Signe was an adorable ball of energy, hugging Isak’s legs and smiling up at him, a big adorable gap between her two front teeth showing.

Because of Signe being in the living room, watching the tv at a very high volume while also playfighting with her teddy bears (”they are kickboxing Evii”) Even lead Isak upstairs to his own room.

Even’s hand lightly brushed Isak’s wrist while he  led the way to a room that was big and had a windowsill, showing a clear view of the street below them.

At first Even and Isak just looked at each other, smiling a little, unsure of where they would go from there. Isak was the first one to shift his gaze, away from Even’s blue eyes. Isak instead tried to make it seem like his focus was shifted onto the science book in his lap.

In the beginning Even had been on his own bed with Isak sitting in an armchair opposite him, but they ended up closer and closer as time went on. They both realised they had many things in common, besides a shared obvious disinterest in their science project.

They had the same type of humour, and Isak himself caught himself smiling more than he had done in a long time. He watched Even throwing his head back with laughter at Isak’s jokes, the action showing off his lean neck, his eyes crinkling, giving Isak a smile that was blinding in it’s intensity. _Okay, maybe I like you a tiny bit._

 

*

 

**wednesday**

Isak had been unusually cheery all week, Noora had even caught him whistling in the kitchen once, combined with making small dance moves from side to side. Everyone at kollektivet threw each other knowing looks when Isak wasn’t looking. Even Linn had noticed the change in Isak, commenting that he looked ”so grossly in love, what happened to the old Isak I knew and loved.”

She changed her mind, however, when Isak shared his bag of chips with her. ”Linn is very easily convinced” Eskild noted. They were all squished together on the tiny couch in the living room, watching an episode of Bob’s Burgers on Nooras Netflix account, Isak lazily scrolling through his Instagram feed.

Even had posted a picture just two minutes ago, a selfie with him and the girl Isak had seen him with before. They both smiled very big, and in the background something that looked as a very high and narrow house made of playing cards could be seen. Even had captioned it ”if we both fail our studies at least we’ve got a future as architects.”

 _Why is he such a dork_ , Isak thought, pressing like. Isak was in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of water when he got a text from Even.

 

**Even pencil-chewer**

 

Should i be scared, i always see you staring at me and now u stalk me on social media

 

I should be the one who’s concerned really, i always find u already looking

 

Can’t help it that you’re pretty ;)

 

:’)  :*

 

Isak felt like a spark of electricity was making it’s way down his spine and he knew a smile was spreading on his face.

Eskild, who had obviously followed Isak into the kitchen to find out some details, turned to Isak with a curious look in his eyes, and when Isak looked up from his phone he simply asked ”It’s him again, isn’t it?” giving Isak a knowing smile as he leaned against the countertop. Isak smiled a little, nodding his head.

Isak immediately wished he could transport himself elsewhere when Eskild let out a delighted, out-drawn “Ooooohhh” and started clapping his hands like a 6 year old at an amusement park. “Shh, you’re loud enough to wake up the whole neighbourhood!” Isak said. 

“It’s only 6pm though” Eskild replied, still smiling wide as he lunged towards him, Isak managing to avoid his hug just in time. “It’s a figure of speech!”

 

 *

 

**thursday**

 

**Even pencil-chewer**

What are you doing today? :)

 

Not too much actually, what about you?

 

I’m considering watching an ep of orange is the new black, but i’m kinda bored

 

Ah i’ve heard of that, is it good? :D

 

...You mean you’ve never seen it? This just can’t be

 

I’m sorry, I’m a disgrace :’)

 

Well i could do the world a service and make u watch it..

I can text you my address if you want?

Just avoid eskild at the door and you will be fine

 

:D see you soon

 

Even was in Isak’s bed. This thought alone seemed to wake up about a million butterflies in Isak’s stomach. They sat together, close, but still keeping a small distance between them.

An episode of Orange is the new black played on Isak’s small tv in front of them. Even looked good there, he fit in nicely against Isak’s blue bedsheets. He was looking a bit tired but so soft in his hoodie.

Isak relaxed more and more, and for a while he just watched the tv, content with Even beside him. They slowly got closer and closer, and soon they were connected basically from head to toe.

After a while Isak noticed Even’s head slowly starting to lean more down towards his chest, Even’s eyes drifting closed as he fell into sleep.

Isak pushed closer, carefully, carefully bringing his hands up to Even's face, his eyelashes fanning out on his cheeks. Isak took some time to just look at Even's sleeping form, the slope of his nose, his cheekbones, his mouth, his eyebrows, a small line between them visible when Even slightly scrunched his face up in sleep.

Isak gently fixed Even's hair, half escaping from Even's usual quiffed hairstyle and hanging down onto his forehead. So he gently played with the strands, bringing it back up to the side of Even’s face. Isak was so _gone_ for this boy.

 

*

 

**friday**

It wasn’t a date. It felt like one but Isak wasn’t really sure where they stood, and he was still just rolling with it, enjoying the moment. The conversations could wait until later.

They were standing so close that Isak could feel Even’s hot breath on his face. Isak wanted him even closer, their breath to be shared, to warm up each others lips and hands by touch.

They were walking by the water, still half-frozen and glistening in the winter sun. It had started snowing again, the fragile flakes singling down, making a home in Even's hair and making Isak's beanie white.

Even stuck his tongue out and tilted his head up towards the sky, trying to catch the flakes. Isak laughed, doing the same, and there they stood together, with their arms out, spinning and laughing as the snow continued making the world white and sparkling around them.

 

After a while, a minute or an hour Isak wasn't sure, they continued their walk, their glove-less hands catching once in a while, Isak's breath catching with it.

“I don’t even like winter that much. Or snow, for that matter” Isak said, looking around at the glistering world around them. ”I usually hang out inside this time of year.”

Even smiled at him, his eyes sparkling with humour. ”Oooh, you must really like me then, being outside and all.” Isak could feel his cheeks heat up. ”I never said that.”

Even just looked at him, raising an eyebrow, a confident smile on his face "You didn’t have to. I can tell.” Isak rolled his eyes. ”Whatever.” Isak couldn’t hide his little smile though, and Even just gave him a, very much attempted, normal wink in response.

They found themselves outside a small and cozy little café, and Even offered to buy them both coffee while Isak chose a table in the corner. Isak suddenly noticed a girl staring at him, her eyes hard. She didn't even look away as Isak met her stare, and she stood up, Isak's pulse rate picking up, as she started walking right towards him.

"Are you Isak?" she said, voice demanding. "Uh... yes?" it came out like a question, and Isak had to force himself to meet eye to eye with the girl he now recognised as Even's ex girlfriend Sonja.

 

He felt a pang of dread in his chest, he didn’t like confrontations at all and she seemed really angry. Sonja immediately continued, her tone serious.

"I suppose you know Even?" Isak nodded. ”I dated Even for a year, and it was all fine and good in the beginning, but after that he got.. weird. I wouldn't want him as a friend if I were you."

Isak frowned. "How do you mean weird?" Isak asked, doing air quotes around the word “weird”.  

Sonja took a deep breath. "He just started acting like a new person, I saw sides of him I hadn't seen before. Just don’t get to close to him, okay? I know he might seem all nice in the beginning, but Even will hurt you in the end, that's just what he does.”

Isak had a hundred thoughts running through his head, but Sonja, looking around her, seemed to have noticed Even returning back and she gave Isak one last stern look and quickly got back to her table.

"Uh, so I have to ask you something" Isak said, nervously drawing shapes into his hand, nails digging to the palm of it. Even looked at him, eyes big and questioning. "Yes?" he said.

"I don't know how to phrase this, but basically, I keep hearing people telling me about who you are, like rumours, and I don't believe them or anything but, do you know why that.. is?" Isak looked at Even, who was very still, hands gripping the cup with a little more force than he did before.

“I can’t believe this shit keeps following me everywhere I go” Even muttered, more to himself than to Isak. His face was suddenly cold, his expressions closed off as he continued gripping his cup until his knuckles turned white.

“I think I’ll better go. I’ll see you around” Even said quickly, finally looking at Isak again, his hard mask dropping for a second, and his eyes showing such sadness Isak instinctively wanted to reach out.

But before Isak could do anything at all, Even’s expression hardened again, and he stood up and left the table, the doorbell ringing in Isak’s ears as the door slammed shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are starting to get into Even's backstory a little more in this chapter, and I'm also planning on maybe doing a chapter from Even's point of view later on!
> 
> As always, feedback and kudos feed my soul, and I'm on tumblr as [beanievaltersen](http://beanievaltersen.tumblr.com)


	3. Is Even okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even still wasn’t answering any of Isak’s texts, and it hurt, a lot. Isak wasn’t sure what was going on, and as always his brain would never shut off and let him rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey here's chapter 3! Turns out I played myself thinking this would take shorter time to write than the previous ones lmao, bUT this chapter is a lil longer so I hope you like it!
> 
> As always, huge shoutout to [Natacha](http://mannentilminkardemomme.tumblr.com) for beta'ing, u a star.

**saturday, 6 april**

**even_bech just posted a picture**

Isak stared at the screen, the picture of Even with a group of friends hanging out showing on the display that lit up his still dark room as Isak blinked a couple of times. _Oh._ It seemed like he was having a good time now at least.

Isak had texted Even a while after he had left the café so abruptly yesterday, but he still hadn’t answered. It was clear that Even was avoiding him. Isak had obviously noted that the topic was sensitive to Even, and he was a little worried that he had ruined it all.

_What if Even doesn’t like to be around me anymore? What if it makes him uncomfortable?_

Isak sighed and put the phone down.

 

*

 

**monday**

Monday hit Isak like a truck, and he had to make a huge effort not to fall asleep during his first lecture, his eyes puffy from lack of sleep and the bags underneath them prominent.

Even still wasn’t answering any of Isak’s texts, and it hurt, a lot. Isak wasn’t sure  what was going on, and as always his brain would never shut off and let him rest.

He had done his best to distract himself, he studied more than he had done since term started, and his playlist was filled with a few upbeat songs that was almost out of character for him, anything to help him feel more energised and cheer him up a bit.

To get his mind off things he had decided to stay over at Mahdi’s place with the other guys yesterday, and they had played fifa and eaten cheeze doodles until early morning.

Unfortunately, Isak had skipped one mandatory lecture too many, and he now had to attend them to keep his chances of continuing the course.

Which was the only reason Isak was at school at all, really, the others guys probably still sleeping at this very moment.

 _Too bad I couldn’t get anyone to fake my signature_ Isak thought, trying to stifle his yawns for the hundredth time that morning.

He had just sat down, the furthest away from the front humanly possible, when Vilde suddenly walked up to him, extremely cheery as per usual.

Isak groaned inwardly, now was not the time to hear anyone with this phenomenon called “energy” talk, especially not if it was Vilde.

Vilde however, did not seem to share his thought process and instead sat down beside him, gently putting her bag in her lap as she looked over at Isak.

”Soo, I was wondering if the next big party of the term could be held at your place this Thursday? Because we have Friday off and Eva’s parents will be home this whole week so she can’t host again, and everyone else either have the same problem or live too far from the city."

_No. Fuck no._

 

”Yes, I guess” Isak’s mouth somehow moved to form words he absolutely should not be saying. And to Vilde of all people.

 _No, what are you doing Isak? Say ’no’_ Isak’s brain practically screamed at him.

”You’ll do it?” Vilde seemed genuinely surprised at Isak agreeing so easily but she gave him a big smile, and Isak’s brain once again betrayed him as he heard a ”Sure” leave his mouth. 

 _Why Isak, why are you like this._ He could blame it on his lack of sleep, him being in a vulnerable state of mind, but Isak had always had trouble saying no to things people asked him to do.

So now he was responsible for hosting a party at kollektivet. Great.

 

**The boys**

 

 **Magnus** : Yo, Vilde just wrote to us saying you’re hosting this week?

Tf Isak hahaah

 

She basically attacked me this morning and I just said yes

jesus I don’t want to host this thing someone save me

 

 **Jonas:** *laughing emoji* bro..

or should I call you master of parties now I’m not sure

 

Smh I need new friends

 

 **Jonas:** <3 seriously though do you know if Eva will be there?

  

Yeah I think so.

Vilde said that Eva never misses a party, so. Go Jonazz

  

 **Magnus:** Boii got mad game yo

 

 **Mahdi:** *clapping hands emoji*

 

*

 

Even wasn’t at school today, but Isak saw the girl with the dimples again, along with some other people Isak assumed also were Even’s friends, as he recognised some of them from the photo Even had posted.

The girl looked over at him, a thoughtful look on her face, and for a moment Isak considered going up to her asking where Even was.

 _T_ _hat’s a bit much though, he’s probably home with a cold or something either way,_ Isak thought to himself as the girl looked away again.

 

*

 

**tuesday**

Another day at school with Even nowhere in sight passed, and Isak was now feeling as confused as ever, and also a little worried. So when he saw Sana standing alone at her locker, he took a deep breath, trying to feel more confidence than he really had in him.

He walked up to her, and she looked up when she heard his footsteps.

“Hey, so this might be a little strange to ask, but is Even okay?” Isak thought he should probably add a little more info and added: ”We’re in this science group together and I haven’t seen or heard from him all week” Isak said, nervously biting his cheek as he waited for her to answer.

Sana looked at him and gave him a small but warm smile. “Even’s got some things going on right now. He will probably be here tomorrow, though.”

Isak let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and gave her a smile back. “That’s great, uh, thank you for telling me.”

 

*

 

Isak was standing outside Even’s door. On his way home he had come up with the idea, and he thought it might make Even feel better. It was cheesy, but Isak really didn’t care at this point.

Once again he had seen an update on Even’s Instagram, and it looked like he was out with his friends somewhere. So Isak went home before he could change his mind, and now here he was.

He knocked on the door, hoping Even would still be out. _Otherwise this will be awkward._

Signe opened the door, and Isak breathed out and smiled at her as he spoke. ”Signe, could you please give this to Even from me?” Isak said, handing her the drawing he had made for Even.

Signe gave him a big smile, showing off all her teeth as she giggled and took the drawing from his hands. ”I can do that! Evi loves drawings!.”

Isak could feel his heart clench at that, and he gave her a weak smile back. ”Thank you so much.” He left quickly after that, hands in his pockets as his heart beat loudly in his chest with nerves.

 

**Even pencil-chewer**

Got your drawing…thank you 

 

<3 i hope whatever is bringing you down will pass quickly

 

 

Even didn’t answer him after that. Isak checked his phone for a text from him multiple times but it never came.

He tried to not let it bring him down. Even had seen it, and hopefully it had made him feel better, no matter what was going on with him right now. And that was all that really mattered.

 

*

 

**wednesday**

Isak saw him as soon as he stepped into the entryway at school. Even was standing in the corner of the room, casually half-leaning against the wall as he was talking to Sana.

He looked good, his hair looking as soft as ever, his denim jacket hugging his shoulders and his smile back on his face.

It was as if Isak had forgotten how good looking Even was, and now when Even was in his line of sight again he couldn’t look away from him. 

”You don’t know that though, Sana” Isak overheard as he took a couple steps inside, his eyes not once leaving Even, who hadn’t noticed him yet.

He was seemingly in a deep conversation with Sana, who now furrowed her brows at Even.

Her response got lost in the crowd of people arriving behind Isak, but it made Even look up, their eyes connecting across the room. Isak felt a spark of electricity down his spine, and it surprised him that his reaction to Even was so strong.

He felt heat rising to his cheeks as Even’s mouth turned upwards in a confident smirk.

Isak’s thoughts were running through his head, confused but undeniably intrigued by Even as he was. Isak’s heart was busy doing backflips, he only came back to reality as Magnus pushed him a little towards their lecture hall, Isak’s eyes finally breaking Even’s gaze.

 

*

 

“Isak, there you are!” Vilde had found him again, despite Isak’s efforts to hide from her, not wanting to listen to any more of ”I think we can have this, but I don’t know how much it costs so I was wondering…”

And whatever she had on her mind must be something extra even in her eyes because she seemed so excited, Isak was almost worried she would start actually jumping up and down.

Isak sighed but Vilde ignored him and said ”Soo, I’ve done some planning, and guess who I got to co-host the party with you? Even!” 

_What?_

 

**Even pencil-chewer**

 

Heard we’re gonna host together

 

I hope so.. you excited?

I want to say sorry for friday btw, it wasn’t a good day for me

 

It’s okay, glad you’re okay now

 

<3 see you thursday!!

 

A weight was lifted off Isak’s chest. Even didn’t want to avoid him, he even said sorry.

Isak still didn’t understand, but now Even was back at school and they were talking.

He knew he was in deep, his obsession with Even surprised even himself at this point, but he could’t stop smiling when he thought of him.

And if Isak changed Even’s contact name in his phone to ‘Even <3’, nobody had to know.

 

*

 

**thursday**

Isak was going to have a heart attack. He was sure of it, as he stood there in the kitchen of the kollektiv, lining up beer cans onto the counter for dear life. He tried not to think about the fact that Even would be there in just a couple of minutes.

He had tried to distract himself from thinking about the party that _him and Even would be hosting_ for the whole day _,_ and now Isak wasn’t just nervous but stressed as well because he had left everything to the last minute in hopes of it magically disappearing.

Isak had spent many minutes styling his hair in the bathroom and picking out a shirt that looked nice but not like he was trying to hard, and now here he was, getting nervous again. _Shocker._  

Isak didn’t know how much he needed to see Even in black until this very moment.

The dark black button up shirt he wore complemented his light hair and blue eyes in ways that should not be possible, as he stood at Isak’s doorstep looking like some sort of god.

“Hey” Even’s smile was almost shy as he looked at Isak, and Isak’s heart melted as he let Even into the kollektiv.

When Even saw the insane amount of alcohol in the kitchen he just managed to get out a “That will last us a while” between the outbursts of laughter.

 

*

 

The boys arrived first to help out with the last party preparations. At least that’s what they said, Isak was convinced they just wanted to see Isak and Even interact and Isak blush so that they could use it against him.

Either way, after a while more people were coming in by the minute, the music was turned up and people were everywhere.

Mahdi, Noora and Linn were busy building some sort of tower out of empty beer cans, Magnus was just welcoming Sana and Even’s other friends at the door and Vilde and Eva were talking to a group of guys before Eva saw Jonas and left the group to hug him.

Even left Isak for a moment to greet them, but soon returned to his side. “Do you like dancing?” Even asked, nodding towards the spot in the livingroom where people were starting to move to the blasting music.

Isak raised an eyebrow and jokingly said “Do I look like someone who dances?” Even, in return, looked like he was ready to challenge him. “Want to try either way?” and he stretched a hand out towards Isak in an over exaggerated gesture. 

Even was standing so close to him Isak could probably feel his heartbeat if he tried. As Even gently dragged him by the wrist towards to the group of people moving to the beat, Isak felt sparks like electricity make its way up his entire arm.

 

They moved together, at first with a bit of distance, holding onto each others arms as they fooled around. But Isak’s arms found their way to Even’s shoulder and neck, Even’s arms wrapping securely around Isak’s waist, and they got closer and closer.

They met each others eyes, a spark of excitement and challenge in Even’s as he gave Isak his signature smile.

As the song soon changed to a dirtier one, they started grinding a little. Isak looked up at Even before his eyes travelled to his lips, and Even licked them when he caught Isak looking.

Isak raised a cocky eyebrow in question, and that was all it took for Even to kiss him.

It was a brush at first, Even asking him for permission, and then Isak’s hands were in Even’s hair, lightly pulling, and Even gave in and started kissing him properly.

 

It quickly turned dirty, both of them taking, taking, taking what the other had to give. Isak bit Even’s bottom lip, and Even pulled him closer in response, opening his mouth more as his own hand found its way to Isak’s hair.

It was all too much and not enough, and Isak pushed himself closer toward Even.

There was no space left between them and Isak stopped breathing as his heart was beating faster than it had ever before.

As they had to pull apart for air, Even peppered small kisses on Isak’s mouth, and both his cheeks, making Isak smile as he tilted his head up asking for more proper kisses. Isak’s mind was all _Even Even Even_ as his head was spinning.

 

*

 

Even was one of the last people to leave, pressing one last kiss to Isak’s lips before going to find his jacket and his friends in the hall. Isak hoped he didn’t look as love drunk as he felt, but he had his suspicions.

The boys found him half-heartedly cleaning glitter off the floor, and as they all sneaked glances to check that Even was out of earshot as they they smiled like idiots, giving Isak high-fives.

“Seriously, Isak, how?” Magnus asked.  _I wonder the same thing Mags._

 

*

 

**friday**

**Even <3**

 

Ah would you look at that, a beautiful day to hang out with a beautiful boy

(hoping that said boy is free but if not I hope u are)

 

   

Ahah fuck off why are you such a dork

                                                               

iSAK ur hurting my feelings :(

  

At least you own a denim jacket.. you’re a mix of the two 

 

You’ve got the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

 

bYE

 

See you in an hour? :*

 

Ugh okay

:*

 

*

 

They were walking in a huge park, trees on both sides of them creating a frame of colour at the sides of the trail they were walking on.

They made their way slowly, stopping for kissing every other minute, sharing smoky breaths in the still cold April air and quick pecks on cheeks.

Even kissed his forehead once after Isak almost fell on a root, Even’s arms catching him, warm lips pressing against his skin as he laughed silently at Isak’s pouty expression.

“You and nature don’t seem to get along that well, huh?” Even said, still holding Isak. “Pfft, that is _a lie_ thank you very much Bech Næsheim” Isak answered, squinting his eyes in fake offence.

“Hmm I somehow don’t believe that.. Maybe I should hold your hand the rest of the way, just for your own safety” Even said. _This smooth motherfucker._  

So there they were, Isak having Even’s hand in his as he tried to keep his blush down every time Even would look at him and smile at their connected hands.

“I’m going to tell you what’s been going on with me lately” Even said and sighed. “I just need to figure a couple of things out first.”

Isak looked at him, surprised at his honesty. _He’s really going to tell me things._

“You don’t have to do that” Isak said, squeezing Even’s hand a little. Even shook his head. “No, but I want to. There’s some stuff you need to know, before this-” he squeezed Isak’s hand in return “this thing we have continues.”

Isak nodded slowly, he tried to keep calm even though his thoughts started to run wild in his head with possible scenarios. But Isak understood if Even needed a little time.

He knew better than anyone what it was like to not have your thoughts figured out. So he smiled at Even and said “Wanna go the kollektiv? I can make us food.”

 

*

 

Isak had managed to only burn the spaghetti a little in the saucepan, and presented Even with a spaghetti bolognese, with an exaggerated bow afterwards.

Even pressed a kiss to his lips in gratitude, continuing to pepper his cheeks with them until Isak most definitely _did not giggle oh my god._

They stayed in Isak’s room playing Fifa until late evening, and when Even after a look at his phone suggested that he should get going Isak said “You can stay over here too, if you want to I mean.”

So Even stayed over, and after a hesitant moment Isak wrapped himself around him, holding him as they both drifted off to sleep.

 

*

 

**saturday**

“Helloo, I’m guessing you must be Even!” Isak heard Eskild’s voice from the kitchen where Even was currently making breakfast. Isak finished up brushing his teeth in the bathroom and quickly made his way there. Eskild could sometimes scare people away with his _good advice_ _and relationship expert tips_ (Eskild’s words not Isak’s).

Eskild was sitting at the table, fingers drawing patterns on his coffee cup and talking animatedly “about _how nice it was to finally meet Isak’s dream guy, oh hey Isak, so yeah_..”

Isak gave him a small glare, but he didn’t put too much heat behind it as he instead looked over at Even.

Even had taken one of Isak’s blue shirts that was a little too big on Isak himself.

It made his eyes pop even more than usual, and it also made Isak feel some kind of way seeing Even in his clothes.

He felt like a lovesick puppy and he didn’t even bother with hiding it. “Good morning” Even said, taking a step back from the pan to give Isak a kiss on the cheek.

“Mhm, good morning” Isak said back, inspecting the eggs in the frying pan. “Looks good.”

Eskild’s aww’s could be heard from the table, and Isak turned to him to give him a sarcastic “Morning, guru.”

Eskild smiled brightly, finishing up his coffee and standing up. “Good morning sunshine! I’m gonna leave you guys to it, nice to meet you Even!” Eskild said with a wink.

“Guru?” Even asked curiously as he set two plates with breakfast down on the table. Isak smiled “It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got time” Even said, taking a bite off his plate. Isak gently rolled his eyes. “Well, okay.. so you have met Noora right?” Even nodded.

“Right, so Eskild once tried to set her up with this complete douche William, and he gave her one of his famous “guru advice”, he has given us all one at some point, and it made Noora date him for several months before she understood what he was really like and dumped him. So yeah, Eskild’s advice is very questionable at best. Always the opposite of what should happen.” Isak shrugged.

Even let out a low whistle. “Wow. Dream guru. Wouldn’t pay him for his service if I were you.”

Isak laughed a little. “He was probably dying to give me advice on you, but this time I declined.”

Even’s eyes crinkled with mirth as he said “I’m glad you did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh it pained me keeping them away from each other, but now here we are! Cuteness, heart eyes, lack of communication inspired by skam season 4- ;) Also, I added in the part about Noora dumping William because them as a couple in the show has been getting on my nerves this week lmao.
> 
> Next chapter I'm planning on doing from Even's POV before switching back to Isak again. As aways, kudos and feedback feed my soul and I appreciate it a lot <3, thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Feel free to yell at me here or on tumblr at [beanievaltersen](http://beanievaltersen.tumblr.com) aha


	4. Just talk to him, Even

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the party was over and Even reluctantly said goodbye to Isak in the livingroom, he could still feel the ghost of Isak's touches on his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Even's POV of the week that passed, this was harder to write than I thought it would be bc I always forgot details I wrote previousy lmao life is hard,, 
> 
> As always, thank you to the lovely [Natacha](http://mannentilminkardemomme.tumblr.com) for beta'ing this, and also to the people who kept encouraging me to continue with this story after skam ended. Mwah!

**saturday, 6 april**

After two missed calls, a text came through to Even’s phone.

 

**Sanasol**

 

I’m coming over, I hope you have tea

 

…Fine

 

*

 

Even threw the phone down on the bed again, his arms coming up to cover his face as he continued laying on the bed, a position he had been in practically non-stop since he woke up. His head felt like it was filled with golden syrup, he was just tired and wanted to sleep all his problems away.

Signe, bless her, had once come in with a cup of ”tea”, aka regular water with sugar in it. ”Some tea for Evi” she had said, putting it on the floor beneath his bed and petting him a bit on the head before she walked out again. Even was so thankful for his little sister, honestly.

Before long, a loud buzz from the doorbell was heard and Even dragged his heavy limbs towards the door to let Sana in.

As always, he didn’t need to say anything to her as she stepped in and just gave him a look that told him that she understood, that everything would be okay eventually.

She gave him a hug and Even rested his head on her shoulders for a moment before they moved to the kitchen.

Sana started preparing tea for the both of them, as Even sat on the chair by the dinner table, absentmindedly drawing patterns into his thigh with his index finger as he zoned out a little, watching her work.

She put their cups on the table and took a seat across from him. ”It’s about that boy, isn’t it?”

Even nodded, looking defeated as he met her eyes over the table. ”He asked me before, if ‘all the rumours’ about me were true” Even made air quotes with his fingers. ”I can never get away from this shit Sana, everytime I try to, it follows. He’s going to think I’m crazy, just like everyone else. I don’t know what to do.”

Sana sighed. ”Listen, I know this is hard for you. Or well, I don’t know exactly how hard but I understand that it’s not an easy thing to do. But you have to trust him, you need to tell him and let him in. Then he’ll understand you and where you’re coming from.”

Even chewed on his bottom lip, taking a sip from his steaming hot cup to gain more time.

Sana just looked at him, she never said the words but her eyes told him “just talk to him already”. But Even didn’t want to talk to anyone. He wanted to pull back, to leave this behind like he had with all his problems previously.

Despite of him logically knowing that what Sana had said was his best option, the fear he had in his gut, which he could feel taking a rougher hold of his heart and squeezing, told him _avoid avoid avoid_.

Even sighed at her, lips twitching in the ghost of a small smile as he said. ”Why are you always so wise? 

Sana’s dimples became even more prominent when she gave him a warm smile, taking a sip of tea herself. ”If I only knew.”

 

*

 

They hung out for a couple of hours, Even feeling a little lighter in Sana’s company.

Even got some texts from a couple of their other friends asking what he was up to, and they quickly decided to come over as well.

And that’s how they ended up making american pancakes in his kitchen, Even taking a snapshot of them smiling, holding up the bowl with the mixture like it was Simba from the lion king. Even laughed, feeling a little better.

It was just too great not to share, so Even went on Instagram for the first time since Friday evening, pressing the share button.

 

*

 

**sunday**

Even did his best not to think about Isak. He failed miserably, but he still tried okay? He tried to not think about his green eyes, his dimples, the way he smiled at him and gave him this look that made Even feel like he could conquer the entire world.

The texts from him were left unanswered on his phone, he couldn’t bring himself to answer any of them now.

Even could feel his heart beat painfully when he thought about Isak's face back at the café. “Are the rumours true?" was what he had wanted to find out. He hadn't phrased it like that, but Even knew. 

Of course he would ask, when all Even wanted was to move on, clean slate and all.

The words had been knives, ammunition Isak did not know he had, and Even’s world shattered like a dropped mirror as he looked at Isak for a second before looking down and away.

Even spent the day in bed, not doing anything in particular, drifting between sleep and watching some episodes of Skins UK. It always made him feel better to watch something, then he could go all in, travel to the world that unfolded on the screen in front of him.

 

*

 

**monday**

 

**Sanasol**

 

The boy is hosting a party on Thursday.

I overheard Vilde asking him.

We (especially you) should go. I’m dropping subtle hints with this one

 

Even almost dropped his phone on his face in surprise at this. _Isak_ would host? Why was the universe against him in this way, honestly.

He let out a deep sigh, and typed out a response.

 

**Sanasol**

 

This doesn’t sound like a thing he does

But if he’s really hosting it I guess I’m still going to show up

 

Why don’t you just offer to co-host it with him?

It would be a great opportunity FOR YOU TWO TO TALK.

Actually this is a great idea if you don’t ask Vilde tomorrow I will do it for you :)

 

Ughh. Also that smiley face seems very threatening

 

:) :)

 

*

 

**tuesday**

**Sanasol**

Isak asked about you today

 

He did? What did he say??

 

He wondered if you were okay. He was really sweet

 

Oh... what did you say to him?

 

I told him you would probably be in school tomorrow, but that you had some ”stuff”

 

 

Even continued his walk through the city park, hope rising in his chest. He smiled at everyone he met on his way back home.

 

*

 

Signe ran to him the moment he opened the door, her eyes shining in excitement as she was not only happy to see him, but had ”a present for you Evi, the boy gave this to you!”

Even felt a spark of something up his spine. The boy? It had to be Isak. Signe ran to get the mysterious present, then proudly pressed it into his hand. The drawing made Even feel warmth all the way from his toes, and he smiled to himself as he held on tighter to it.

_Okay. I will talk to him._

Even had made up his mind. He would not pull away from Isak any more before they had talked about this and he had explained. Yes. Even if it made him nervous and jittery. It was time to be brave. He knew he had Sana at his side, her encouraging smile and pat on the shoulder, paired with the look of "if you ever need support, I'll be there".

It made Even feel secure. He would do it. Even if that meant he could officially lose Isak's interest.

In the evening he made his way to the kitchen, joining his sister in making pegboards with beads of different colours.

He had just finished making a tiny heart in the colours of the pansexual flag, and was now busy helping Signe find blue beads for the _magical lion_ she was creating beside him. Their mother joined in, and the familiarity of it made Even feel a lot better.

He had his family and his friends by his side no matter what. The rest of the week ahead he would use to fix things.

A couple of blue sparkly beads were passed to him by his mother, which he in turn gave to Signe, who squealed in delight as she finished off her masterpiece.

 

*

 

**wednesday**

When Vilde had caught him in the hallway Even was almost caught off guard by her intense excitement. She spoke a mile a minute about the party on Thursday, he would come right? When she mentioned that Isak would be the host of the party Even’s heart jumped, and he chipped in ”Does this party need a co-host, you think?”

Vilde let out a tiny scream of excitement, hugged him and said that it sounded like a great idea. ”If you need anything, let me know” she said, smiling at him as she made her way down the hallway, stopping other students to inform them of _the best party ever._

Isak’s text got Even in an even better mood, and he mentally made plans for how it would go.

 

*

 

**thursday**

Even basically had a smile on his face from the moment he woke up and remembered that he would see Isak today. If it was someone else telling him a thing like that, he would have fondly made fun of them, and now here he was. A man with a crush, and a man with a mission.

He made his way to the bathroom to wash his face with cold water, brushing his teeth and styling his hair, swaying a little to the music he had playing on his phone. Gabrielle had all the tunes lately, okay?

He picked out a sleek, black button up, the one Yousef had given him for his birthday the year before. (He was aiming to impress after all), carefully buttoning it, all the way up except for the last two buttons, pale skin peeking through.

Isak looked like an angel. That was Even’s first thought as Isak opened the door for him. He was wearing a white shirt and his soft hair was styled in a little swoop, his curls tamed by what Even guessed was lots of hair gel. _I am so screwed, wow._

 

*

 

Isak was dancing with him. Not without a huff of feigned annoyance at Even’s suggestion though, the corners of his mouth pointing upwards, betraying him as Even gently dragged him out on the dancefloor, and did his best to make him smile wider and wider. _God, he has such a beautiful smile._

After a while Even, struck with courage, moved closer and closer, his heart rate speeding up as he pulled Isak closer to his body.

He felt the slim but strong slope of Isak’s shoulders underneath his fingers as they made their way down to Isak’s waist, the music beating loud in their ears and raising the pulse of everyone on the dancefloor _. Oh, this one is way better._

Even flashed a smile down at Isak as he soaked in the way Isak looked. His hair slightly sweaty, eyes shining, long eyelashes fanning his cheeks.

He met Isak’s eyes again, seeing his raised brows, a cocky tilt of his mouth that made Even want to do all kinds of things _-._

They were kissing, Even finally feeling Isak’s lips against his own, soft oh so soft as Even gauged Isak’s reaction.

Some of Isak’s curls had fallen out of his careful styling, now covering his left eye, and Isak licked his lips as he looked at Even through his eyelashes. That was _it._ Even kissed him with more confidence, no inhibitions as he pulled Isak even closer by the waist, locking him in.

Even couldn’t believe he had Isak in his arms, and he felt like his smile would break his face from how wide it was, as he just closed his eyes and felt the moment with him.

It was heated, Isak’s hands in his hair was pressing all the right buttons. They continued grinding, pressed together as much as one could and still be able to move. 

The heat was all around them, and Even couldn't believe his luck as he once again leaned down to deepen the kiss. 

 

When the party was over and Even reluctantly said goodbye to Isak in the livingroom, he could still feel the ghost of Isak's touches on his skin.

  

*

 

**friday**

Even put his phone back in the pocket of his jeans. He styled his hair, put on his favourite denim jacket and got the keys at the door. Now he would go meet Isak.

 

* 

 

**saturday**

Even hung out with Isak in the kollektiv for the whole day. After the meeting with Eskild, which Even right off the bat decided he really liked, Linn had also surprised them by appearing out of her room. “For once, she doesn’t go out much” Isak had told him, and she and Even even held a conversation before she relocated to the living room couch, a bowl of coco puffs in hand.

After Linn disappeared, Even was met with Isak's raised eyebrow, a feigned look of being impressed on his face, his chin raised slightly and his lips in an exaggerated pout, blowing him a kiss.

Even choked on laughter and gave Isak a gentle push at his side, peppering as many tiny kisses onto the side of Isak's forehead as he could before before a giggling Isak pulled him by the arm into his room to play Fifa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm at [beanievaltersen](http://beanievaltersen.tumblr.com) if you want to yell at/with me there. Kudos and comments is the air I breathe, I hope you liked <3


	5. The journey of Isak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even nodded, eyes still searching Isak’s face for any signs of him moving away.
> 
> “I’m not going anywhere” Isak said firmly. “I’ve got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is packed with stuff™ oh my... hope you will enjoy!
> 
> As always, a big thank you to my favourite beta bean [Natacha](http://mannentilminkardemomme.tumblr.com). I would also like to thank everyone who has been leaving kudos, bookmarks, comments and given feedback on this fic, ily very much *hugs you all*

**monday, 15 april**

Isak was so behind on every single assignment he had gotten. The studying he had done the week before seemed to have made no difference as his workload once again was the size of a small mountain at his desk in his room.

So, he had decidedly retreated to the quietness of the school library in hopes of it motivating him enough to finish his latest assignment.

He was just in the middle of imagining the sweet release of death as an alternative to opening his science book one more time, when he overheard a voice, a girl’s voice floating through the space of the rows upon rows of bookshelves.

"Have you heard about that Isak guy? I've heard Even have his eyes on him"

"Isak? Is he the guy with the red snapback?"

"Yeah, people are saying he's Evens new toy. Poor guy, he looks like he's already in love with Even. I'll give it two weeks, tops.”

Their steps sounded loud and sharp as they continued on their way.

Isak faintly heard the other girl respond as he tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but as the pounding in his ears got louder, the words "toy, two weeks tops" started playing on repeat in his brain, cancelling out all other sound.

Isak felt his eyes sting, he was still staring in the direction the voices had come from. His hand was gripping the table, like he unconsciously had tried to stable himself.

 

Just as he was about to stand up and leave, escape to the safety of home as fast as he could, he heard an absolutely furious voice. ”What the actual fuck are you saying?”

Isak froze, about the same time as the sound of the footsteps abruptly stopping reached him from the direction of the voice, which continued on, coldly.

“You should be ashamed of yourselves, not only spreading lies like that but talking about another person in that way is just disgusting.”

It was Even’s voice. Immediately after, the girls’ voices rose, frenetically apologising, saying “Oh my god we are so sorry, no of course not, you’re right, we’re sorry-”

“Please just get out of my face” he heard Even say, voice empty of all emotion.

This was quickly followed by a piped up “Sorry again” as the footsteps once again picked up, the girls practically running out of the library.

Isak felt like he was coming up for air after being underwater, suddenly becoming aware of himself once again as he was still in the position of leaving the desk, bag half-slung over his shoulder.

He heard Even’s footsteps coming closer and decided to just wait for him to get there. This had just been too much of an emotional rollercoaster for Isak for it to stop now, he decided.

He said a tentative “Hey” out in the air as Even passed the corner of the last shelf and saw him there at the table, Isak’s eyes still glassy but a weak smile now on his lips as he met Even’s eyes.

“Isak? Fuck, I’m so sorry you had to hear that” Even reached out to him, tentatively taking his hand in his own as he continued “Listen, I need you to know that what they said is absolutely not true, I would never do that to anyone, especially not to you who I-”

Even was rambling, eyes wide, tone of voice getting higher towards the end of the sentence.

Isak squeezed his hand comfortingly, a simple “I know” leaving his lips as he let out a long breath, finally starting to calm down, Even’s words and presence calming him.

“Did you have anything in specific to do here? I would still like to leave, like right now” Isak said, his other hand faintly pointing to the tables surrounding them.

Even shook his head in response, and let himself be led out of the library by the hold Isak still had kept on his hand.

 

*

 

They were on Isak’s bed, opposite each other with cups of tea balancing in both of their laps as Even took a deep breath, playing with the strings on his hoodie as he spoke.

Isak knew that Even had something on his mind, but he wasn’t pushing it.

He was thinking about what Even had been saying back there, how he was going to say something more before Isak had interrupted him.

Even looked up, meeting Isak’s eyes as he let out a soft sigh.

"I guess I should just start somewhere with explaining all of this, shouldn’t I?” It wasn’t a question, and Isak just kept looking at him, comfortingly moving a little closer as Even continued.

“When I was in my second year, I was diagnosed with bipolar. I didn't really understand what was going on, how I should react to that information. So I basically hid it from everyone except for my parents and sister. My girlfriend at the time, Sonja, wondered what was up with me, obviously, and I..."

Even's voice was shaking, but he swallowed hard and continued.

"I didn't want her to know. I didn't want anyone to know, because then it would suddenly feel real, and I wasn't ready for that. So I pushed everyone away, and at the same time I was struggling with the right dosage of my meds, and I had a couple of bad episodes.”

He laughed a little. "Do you remember the first time we hung out? When I said the librarian didn’t like me?” Isak vaguely remembered and nodded.

Even continued “Well, here's where the books flying out the window in the library comes in, I just did a lot of stuff because I just felt like it. Didn’t really think about things, couldn’t really. Obviously that wasn’t that much of a big deal, considering. That was just the beginning of it. I would make really impulsive decisions, decisions that would hurt people around me and myself. I was too scared to let anyone in, to give people a chance to understand and, I guess help in the way that they could."

Isak's eyes didn't leave Even's face as he listened, wanting nothing more than to reach out, but knew to let Even finish. 

"I thought that they would hate me, that they would just leave once they realised. I'd rather make everyone think I was just doing all this stuff because I just didn't care. For me, that was much more preferable than people thinking I was just... insane." 

Even's fingers had stopped playing with the strings of his hoodie, his hands very still at the word ”insane."

Isak’s heart hurt. He wanted to just wrap Even up in his arms, protect him from his own thoughts.

And so he did, carefully moving their mugs as his other hand ran soothingly up Even’s arm. He hugged him tightly, trying to convey all of his own emotions through the embrace.

After a long while, he pulled back just enough to gently kiss Even’s cheek.

“You’re not. Don’t ever think that. Also, if your friends would have left you for something like that then they are just assholes who didn’t deserve you to begin with. Remember that.”

Even nodded, eyes still searching Isak’s face for any signs of him moving away. “I’m not going anywhere” Isak said firmly. “I’ve got you.”

 

*

**wednesday**

Isak and Even walked to school together, hands almost brushing as they crossed the path of the schoolyard to meet up with the boys.

Magnus’ eyes were big as saucers and Jonas just had a knowing smile on his face that said _“I told you he liked you, you idiot.”_

Isak didn’t even care about all the people staring at them. Knowing what happened, he was actually quite angry at everyone for not understanding that something wasn’t right with Even back then or tried to reach out to him.

 _They should have fought for him more_ , Isak thought as he caught sight of Sonja standing with her group of friends at the other side.

He saw her eyes momentarily stop at them, brows furrowing slightly before returning to the conversation she was in.

Isak turned away and started smiling as he was listening to Even, who had started animatedly describing a dream he’d had the night before.

 _Damn, I’m so gone for him._ The thought didn’t scare him as much as he had thought it would.

 

_*_

 

They surprised everyone in their class by actually delivering a well thought-out project.

Deciding to get a good piece of work done during their study session the day before, Isak had been throwing out last-minute ideas and sentences that sounded intelligent as Even quickly wrote them down and then searched for famous quotes to use as backup for their claims.

“What about this?” Even had said, handing the laptop over to Isak who quickly scanned over their intellectual masterpiece.

Isak snorted loudly. “I’ll send this to Jonas, he will make good use of it in his next speech.”

 

**Jonas**

Lowkey hooking you up for your next speech

 

You can always trust my man Jeff

 

Ooo. What will your ship name be? Thonas? Jomas? So many options...

 

How do I mute you

 

I hope you mean turn on notifications for the development of this

 

Byyye Isak

 

*

 

**thursday**

Isak carefully tucked the edge of the duvet under Even’s side, effectively finishing off wrapping a laughing Even into the comfiest human burrito known to man.

”I only said it was a little chilly in here oh my god” Even managed to get out as Isak finished off by putting an extra pillow under Even’s head, petting him a little as he leaned back on the bed to admire his work. 

”Shush and enjoy my masterpiece” Isak said, smiling down at the boy who was now mostly hidden under blankets with only the top of the head visible and sticking out from its confines, his soft hair covering a bit of his forehead. 

It was early afternoon, the sun streaming in through the window and onto the two boys laying side by side in Isak’s room.

They had been enjoying listening to music and competing in who knew the most lyrics of a chosen song, Isak suffering a big loss as he was exposed as a “mainly-humming-along-to-songs” type of person.

Even took home almost all of the hypothetical points and was being way too smug about it as Isak dramatically huffed and rolled his eyes at the “whole concept of this stupid game, Even.”

 

“It was your idea!”

 

*

 

**friday**

The smell of burnt food was very strong in the tiny kitchen and Isak was stressing. Just a little bit.

Maybe the few drops of sweat on his forehead and his frantic movements could possibly give him away. 

Linn was casually sitting on the countertop opposite the stove where Isak was practically running back and forth between the pot of boiling water and the saucepan that somehow was close to catching fire every time Isak looked away.

“I think you can remove the lid from that” Linn said between the bites of her sandwich, pointing with her sock-clad toes to the pot which was bubbling ominously, every now and then letting out strange hissing sounds. 

Isak had to take a deep (Very very deep) breath in order to not scream at Linn just sitting there, very much not helping.

Instead he aimed for doing as she said to hopefully lessen the heat on this warzone he had created.

“What’s all this for anyway?” Linn said, almost curiously, if Isak hadn’t known her better. 

Isak threw a last glance towards all the appliances, willing them not to explode or anything as he turned towards her, leaning back against the shelves. “I’m trying to learn how to cook” he said simply. 

“I can see that, but why? And why now?” 

Isak bit his lip, considering lying but decided to go for the truth, blushing a little and looking down. “I’m trying to learn a bit so I don’t make a fool of myself in front of Even. I can’t even boil water... it’s embarrassing!” 

Isak could have sworn that he saw a small smile from Linn but as soon as he blinked it was gone. 

“Aww that’s sweet actually” she said, just as Eskild came sauntering into the kitchen. 

“What’s this I just heard? Isak learning to cook for a special someone? What happened to the boy I knew?” he said with a mirthful glint in his eye and raised his eyebrows as he went to pour himself a cup of coffee. 

Isak sighed exasperatedly, regretting his choice to do this whole cooking thing with other people being home.

“Yesss” Isak drew out, rolling his eyes and turning back around towards his creations on the stove. 

“Maybe he will surprise us all and become a top chef” Linn suddenly said, matter-of-factly. 

Isak heard Eskild choking on his coffee in surprise and could not help his own gleeful smile, shaking his head. “Sometimes you really say the right things, Linn. Thanks” Isak said. 

“Ooo, then I’m happy to follow along the journey of Isak! We believe in you, master chef” Eskild said, gently petting Linn on her hood-covered head as he left the kitchen, quietly whispering to himself “not all heroes wear capes.”

 

*

 

**saturday**

They were at a club, just the two of them, the other guys having been persuaded to join a smaller gathering at someone from their class’ house.

Isak didn’t really mind it, the promise of free beer did sound good to him as well.

But as he was swaying with Even in the middle of the dance floor, still sober enough to keep his usual awkwardness, he still felt happy with his decision.

Even was the ultimate picture of beauty with his hair pushed back by a dark blue headband, his smile and crinkly eyes meeting Isak’s gaze. 

The place was pumping with pop music, anything from the 80’s to the 2000’s, as Isak had known beforehand due to Even’s eyes practically lighting up when he showed Isak the event on Facebook. “Pleaaaase Isak, will you go with me? It will be really fun!”   

And as always Isak didn’t really stand a chance against Even’s puppy eyed look, lips pouting as he waited for Isak to give in. _He knows me too well._

Isak had sighed exaggeratedly, smile breaking through even as he tried to fight it. 

“Fine, we’ll go.” And so here he was, quickly finishing a couple of beers to get more into it, seeing Even laughing at him over the top of the can.

Even didn’t do anything half-heartedly, as he was swaying his hips, singing along and doing every corny dance move the book had to offer. 

Isak followed along, much less enthusiastically but nonetheless amused and happy at how into it Even was.

[The song changed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC7XLQYqXYo), and Isak saw Even’s face light up with excitement as he pulled Isak closer to himself, starting to mouth the lyrics at him as he jumped up and down.

He formed an exaggerated O-shape with his mouth as the music poured out of the speakers. 

 _Yeeeeeaaaaaahhh, ooooooo._ He pointed at Isak, who broke into a huge smile against his will.

Even’s eyes was staring him down as he mouthed _I gotta touch you right now, try to keep it down, so nobody hears._

He pulled Isak flush to his body, leaning over him. _You need to whisper, gently in my ears._ Isak could feel his cheeks redden at Even’s extra-ness.

Said person who was currently making finger guns in the air and pointing at him at the line _everything you say, will show me the way._  

“Come on Isak!” Even laughed, spinning Isak around to the music. Isak joined in, screaming along like the crowd of people surrounding them.

 _I gotta touch you right now,_ Isak sang as he leaned up just a bit to kiss Even, both of them smiling into it, still swaying. _Everything you say, will show me the way. I gotta touch you right now._  

They left the club all giddy and happy, walking the short distance to kollektivet, Even kissing Isak up against the door until they had to break apart, both laughing into each others mouths. “I can’t believe all it took for you to let loose was some 2000’s pop.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3
> 
> Sooo, Even finally told Isak some things, it's been a long time coming I feel like... I would like to thank [Taha](http://naesheiims.tumblr.com) for the idea of burrito!even in this, as well as our talk about the boys dancing to cheesy pop songs, inspiring me to finally write down the idea. 
> 
> As always, I can be found at [beanievaltersen](http://beanievaltersen.tumblr.com) if you want to yell at + with me there. Kudos and comments are much appreciated <3


End file.
